Sawyer, who now lives in Portland, put together a list of his favorite waterfall hikes in southern Washington, included in his own words below.

5: Siouxon Creek

The Siouxon Creek drainage is south of Mount St. Helens and full of waterfalls in the vast Gifford Pinchot National Forest. The understory is lush, and the waters of Siouxon Creek collect in deep, inviting pools of green and blue.

Hiking options to four waterfalls — Horseshoe Creek Falls, Siouxon Falls, Chinook Falls, Wildcat Falls — take visitors on a tour that can run from 4 to 9 miles.

Directions: From Portland, take I-205 north to WA 500 East. Travel along this road that soon becomes WA 503. Make a left to stay on WA 503 North through the towns of Battleground and Amboy. Just past the Mount St. Helens National Monument Headquarters, turn right onto NE Healy Road. After 9.2 miles, bear left at a fork heading uphill onto Forest Road 57. After 1.2 miles, turn left onto paved Forest Road 5701. Drive 3.7 more miles to where the road dead-ends at the trailhead.

Siouxon Creek Falls is the highlight of a hike in Southwest Washington.(Photo: Photo by Adam Sawyer)

4: Angel Falls Loop

The Angel Falls Loop hike is an amusement park ride for outdoor lovers. This diverse 2.6-mile loop starts with a long ascent before skirting around cave-laden cliffs and descending down to lush grottos highlighted with waterfalls. The hike then levels off through a forest with red huckleberries before a final drop and return back to the trailhead. Covell Creek Falls might be the only segmented waterfall with a trail running behind it.

Covell Creek Falls can be found on the Angel Falls Loop in Southwest Washington near Randle.(Photo: Photo by Adam Sawyer)

Directions: From Randle, drive south on WA 131 toward Mount St. Helens for 1 mile and turn left (east) onto Forest Road 23 toward Trout Lake. Follow Forest Road 23 for about another 12 miles, then turn right (south) onto Forest Road 28 (Cispus Road) and follow it as it heads south then curves to the west, crossing over Yellowjacket Creek after about 1.3 miles and turning from pavement to gravel. Continue on Forest Road 28 for another 0.9 mile and park at a small parking pull-out on the left (north) side of the road. Cross to the south side of the road and look for the easy-to-miss Burley Mountain trailhead.

3: Lewis River

With six waterfalls along a 7-mile route, this hike along the Lewis River is a must-do for any self-respecting waterfall lover. The three major cascades of the outing — Upper, Middle and Lower Lewis River Falls — are all unique in their own right. The lower falls is one of the most accessible, photogenic and visited falls in the Gifford Pinchot National Forest.

Directions: From Portland, drive north on I-5 to Exit 21 and head east on WA 503 toward Mount St. Helens for 37 miles. Pass through the town of Cougar, Washington, and continue straight as the road turns into Forest Road 90. Proceed for another 18 miles and then at a fork follow Forest Road 90 to the right (south) after the Pine Creek Information Center (really just a kiosk), for another 14.2 miles to the Lower Falls Recreation Area by the "Lower Lewis River Falls" sign. Park at the day-use area near the restrooms. The Lower Falls Recreation Area is open May through October and requires a $5 day-use fee or Northwest Forest Pass.

The waterfalls along the Lewis River Trial make for many great waterfall views.(Photo: Picasa 2.7 / Photo by Adam Sawyer)

2: Panther Creek Falls

Panther Creek Falls is one of the most unique waterfalls in the Northwest. Imagine a giant natural spring of about 100 feet of intertwining ribbons of water and moss, gently flowing down the face of a massive basalt wall. Now also picture a pristine creek rushing toward that palisade, with a small segment of the stream splintering off just prior to impact creating a delicate, veillike cascade. Meanwhile, the majority of the creek careens into the spring, becoming a turbulent 70-foot waterfall. Once united, the waters travel a very short distance before falling over a lower 30-foot tier. This is Panther Creek Falls, which can be reached with a 150-foot walk to a viewing platform.

Directions/route: From Carson, take Wind River Road north for 5.8 miles to Old State Road and turn right. Then make an immediate left onto Panther Creek Road. Drive along Panther Creek Road for 7.4 miles to a large gravel pit on the right side of the road and park there. There is no marked trailhead, and there may or may not be signage indicating the waterfall. Cross the road and start walking south, or in the direction you came from, for about 150 feet to the easy-to-miss trail on the side of the road. The path descends quickly and leads to a large viewing platform roughly 150 yards from the trailhead. There is a scramble path about 75 feet to the left (south) side of the viewing platform that leads down to the base of the falls. It is a very steep and dangerous path made all the more so in wet conditions. It requires a couple of rock-climbing maneuvers and a certain level of off-trail experience.

1: Loowit Falls

Mount St. Helens' Crater Glacier is both the youngest and fastest-growing glacier in the United States. It also is responsible for the 185-foot Loowit Falls that tumbles into Loowit Canyon less than a mile from the toe of the glacier. The 8.8-mile hike to Loowit Falls is remarkable, including the chance to observe and experience the rapid recovery of flora and fauna in the blast zone nearly 35 years after the eruption.

Directions: From Portland, take I-5 north to Exit 21. Turn right and drive 88 miles, passing through the town of Cougar. Along the way, WA 503 will become Forest Road 90. At the Pine Creek Information Station, stay straight onto Forest Road 25 for 25 miles. Turn left onto Forest Road 99 and drive 16 miles to the road's end at the Windy Ridge Viewpoint. (Northwest Forest Pass or $5 day-use fee is required.)

The hike to Loowit Falls provides views of the blast zone on Mount St. Helens.(Photo: Picasa / Photo by Adam Sawyer)